Michael's 11th Birthday Party in Pictures

My mom could not make this party and my dad and stepmom had taken Michael out for a special lunch and present-shopping in lieu of the crazy party day, so here are some photos courtesy of Angeliina Lawson!

Monday's Chicken Theme: Cuddling vs. Eating

Today was another blast.:

• Finished proofreading my friend Christine Shuck's kick-ass book War's End, Book One: The Storm because Book Two is done and being looked over once more by her so I can proof it soon! 
• Watched her daughter for a while today. Her daughter says I am like her second mom, which made me cry!
• Found out from the eye doc that Callie's broken glasses frames will need to be sent out, so there's a week for her without her glasses.
• Delivered Jamberry nails to my peeps who ordered.
• When Christine and Dave picked up their daughter they had bought chicks for egg-laying later on! They were snuggly and lovely! My mom is going to love this crap!

And here is dinner, not cooked yet (chicken dipped in milk/mustard then flour/cheddar cheese), recipe courtesy of my behind-me neighbor!

HuluPlus Review

I have not had cable TV in a million years. Mr. Kerrie won't let us get it. He probably knows we would veg out in front of it too much. Or maybe we wouldn't. I don't know. The thing is, we would also need a DVR because we are on the go so much and I would want to record a few of my favorite shows. I don't have many. I don't have the time to watch a lot of TV. I just want to chill sometimes in the morning with The Real Housewives on in the background while I'm writing or doing some mindless thing online that counts as work while the kids sleep.

So my mom has been VIDEOTAPING shows for me since about 2001. For real. Yes, she is a freaking saint for doing so. Back when I had a nursling who would crash out on me, blissfully keeping me on the couch, I adored having tons of shows on tape to watch.

I would love for her to be able to stop taping stuff for me. I feel bad that she is still doing it so I can get my Housewives or Flipping Out or MadMen fixes.

So I signed up for my free two weeks on HuluPlus and if you sign up with me, we both get free weeks from here on out! Up to a full free year!

So far I've noticed that HuluPlus has the current season of The Real Housewives of New York City and also they have some great movies I have put in my queue for someday when I am not going insane with writer-y projects swimming in my brain! They are great with a lot of network shows, but I notice they are hit or miss with some of the cable shows ... like you can get season 2 of something but no other seasons ... nothing from season 1 and nothing from the current season 4 or whatever.

They do have a lot of great shows for kids, while I hear people who have Netflix get tired of not having a lot of streaming choices.

Here's the link to sign up using my referral code. If you sign up after the free trial, I get two weeks free and YOU GET TWO WEEKS FREE! Then you can be like me and start assaulting people with your own referral code!

I'd love to know what you think about this ... I had tried Netflix and it did not have all that we wanted. Nothing will, most likely.

Happy 11th Birthday to Michael!

This is my second-born punkin, Michael Aron. He is half in a hole that his dad dug for a fence he was moving. Michael is my zen kid ... happy to hang around the house and play Legos. Super honest. Super smart. Practical.

I about started crying in Hyvee the other night when I had to pick out candles ... two number ones to make 11. How can he be that old? I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday.

I love you, Michael! I hope you have a great day hanging with your friends and Tutu and Cathy and having Pizza Hut for lunch and Daddy's spaghetti and meatballs with Texas toast for dinner. And pies!

I know you had a blast yesterday with Poppy and Nana having Five Guys Burgers and Fries and then picking out a gift at the Lego store.

You are a joy to us!

My Date With 4-Year-Old Samuel

In the interest of my own time (sorry!), I am sending you to this post I did on Bubblews about my date with Samuel.

There are 3 pictures over there but here are some different photos!